White House says it will work closely with Mexico on kidnapping case of 4 Americans

President Joe Biden's administration will work closely with the Mexican government to ensure justice is served after four US citizens were kidnapped, with two found dead and two found alive on Tuesday, News.az reports citing CNN.

John Kirby, the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, told reporters Tuesday that the US is “still working with Mexican officials to learn more and to have all four victims returned to the United States.”

CNN previously reported the group of friends traveled from South Carolina so one of them — a mother of six — could undergo a medical procedure across the border, per two family members. They were “placed in a vehicle and taken from the scene by armed men” in the border city of Matamoros on Friday, according to the FBI. Investigators believe a Mexican cartel likely mistook them for Haitian drug smugglers, a US official said.

He expressed “our deepest condolences” to the friends and families of those killed, but declined to comment further. 

Kirby thanked the US Justice Department, Drug Enforcement Administration and the Department of Homeland Security for “their swift response to this dreadful incident and for their continued collaboration with Mexican authorities.” 

“Attacks on US citizens are unacceptable, no matter where or under what circumstances they occur. And we're going to work closely with the Mexican government to ensure that justice is done in this case. Right now, our immediate concerns are the safe return of our citizens, the health and the well-being of those who survived his attack,” Kirby said. 

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